


sirens of the deep [an AI-generated adventure]

by Junipher



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 12,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24734761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junipher/pseuds/Junipher
Summary: In a few days you find yourself in Hessla, the pirates' haven. As soon as you arrive you're approached by a gruff looking man who doesn't look like the typical pirate with a strawhat and cutlass.





	1. January

**Author's Note:**

> This story was created in collaboration with [AI Dungeon](https://play.aidungeon.io/), with minor edits.

January 3

You nod, and the princess beams even more.  
"I would love for you to meet my friends!" she says. "Please, come with me... I want to introduce you to my father! And afterwards, we can all go somewhere and talk. I've just got so much to tell you! I've missed you so much!"  
You walk alongside the princess as she speaks to her friends. Soon, you reach a group of four men, dressed in dark suits and sunglasses. They look like they could be bodyguards, but they aren't with the princess.  
"Hello, I'm Karstark," the first man says. "I'm sure you've heard of me. I'm the king's personal adviser."  
"And I'm Nolazir," the second man says. "I work with the royal intelligence service."  
"I'm John," the third man says. "I'm a reporter for the Herald. It would seem our princess has fallen for someone, and we're all here to find out who."  
"And I'm Ragnor," the fourth man says. "We're all just here to listen, all right?"

January 6

You sit down next to the magic tree, and sigh as you lean against it. The planet is being torn apart, the sky burning, the ground sinking, and you're stuck on it. You lean back, and stare at the tree. You smile as you realize something.  
"Karth," you say, "I'd name the tree 'Karth', wouldn't you? I mean, it is magical."  
"No," Karth says. "It's a tree.  
"So be it," you say.  
"I'm bored of this planet," Karth complains. "Let's go."  
You put your head against the tree, closing your eyes.  
"Just ten minutes more," you say.

January 9

You wake up at dawn, feeling someone watching you. You look up, to see Kyros standing there.  
"Ah, you're awake. How do you feel?"  
"You ask that question like I'll know the answer," you say.  
"Fair point," Kyros says. "How do you feel? Better than when you first woke up, I'd wager."  
"I'd imagine," you say.  
Kyros steps forward, leaning against the tree next to you. He stares at you, his eyes searching your face.  
"I was wondering if you'd live to see another day," he says.

January 12

You spend the first few days off talking to Kane and Elizabeth, thanking them for their help with the planet. Elizabeth, surprisingly, is happy to be done with the planet, and is just looking forward to some much-needed rest. Kane is still grim and silent, but he knows that the war is won. You wonder whether this means he'll finally open up to you.  
You also talk to Captain Hayes, who is surprised to hear that you were fighting Kyros' forces on the planet.  
"I figured you were on Rask," Hayes says. "I guess the Space Marines weren't needed after all."  
"It was a mistake," you say. "I should have went through with the plan. I learned from it."  
"Perhaps," Hayes says. "Well, I'll be glad to see you leave this place. I have no doubt that the planet will be stable now. The Imperium will have its sons and daughters to serve it, and none shall oppose."  
"It does seem to be that way," you say. "Is there anything you need?"  
"Nothing that can't wait," Hayes says. "Well, we're building a new generation of brothels on the moon, but other than that, no."

January 15

"No," you say. "I will not have some guy I just met decide whether or not I live or die. If that was up to me, I would've been dead a long time ago. No, I want someone who knows what the hell they're doing."  
"Well, I suppose I can understand that," Lars says. "I guess you're going to want to do your own planning and preparations."  
"Yes."  
"Do you know what you're looking for? I mean, I assume you don't want some arrogant noble who thinks they're the next King of the Realm. I assume you don't want a religious fanatic, either, since you know how they view your work. I mean, I can give you some names..."  
"Just... give me a few people."  
"You don't want to narrow it down?"  
"I want to have at least twenty people. Someone smart, someone tough, someone who doesn't take any crap from anyone. I want at least one priest, if not more. I want someone who has experience in organized crime. I want... I want people who aren't going to die."


	2. February

February 3

"Just one thing..." You say catching their attention instantly "I need a quick word with you in private before we leave this island." They all stare at you in disbelief until the pirate captain finally nods "I'm listening."

They walk away from the crowds onto a small isolated beach "This is as good a spot as any." The captain says "Folks, spread out and keep an eye out for escaping prisoners or anyone trying to escape this island.

"Why are we splitting up?" You ask as you sit down next to him "I've been on this island for a few days now and there's been no mention of any escape attempts. He sighs "Most likely because they're too scared to do anything major yet. There's a large group of them locked up in that tower don't forget." He points out to you "But they're desperate enough to try whatever they can come up with.

February 6

After searching the room for a few minutes, you manage to locate a large, dusty tome lying open on the floor. You pick it up, and look at the cover.  
"Mysteries of the Unknown"  
You turn a few pages...  
"Alter Ego"  
You turn a few more pages...  
"Spirits, hauntings and ghouls"  
Then, you stop. You turn to the last page of the book, and read what's written there.  
"To be continued."  
Huh. That's it? No other pages? You open the book at the beginning again, and look at the cover. Then, you close it, and quickly put it away.  
The footsteps are getting louder.

February 9

You look around for something to help you, but you're only armed with a butter knife. The book didn't mention anything about a weapon in it, so you're out of luck. You could try to escape through the window, but the noise might draw attention.  
You quickly open the window, which was sealed shut, and the cool night air breeches your skin. You take a deep breath, before jumping out of the window.

February 12

You fall for a few seconds, before the cool grass of the yard cushions your fall. You get up quickly, as to avoid the attention of the strange people walking in Lars' house.  
You run through the night, away from the house, and eventually back to your home.

February 15

When you get back, the sun is up.  
Your family is surprised to see you. "Who were those people that came to our house?" Your mom asks.  
"I don't know," You shrug. "They wanted me to join them, but I didn't. They were watching me all day, but I didn't let it bother me."  
"Thank the gods," Your father says, thanking your mother for the sentiment. "You did the right thing, boy. We're heading off to bed, wake us up in a few hours. We have work to do in the morning.  
You nod. As you head into your room, you find a piece of paper on your pillow.  
Good job, kid. You escaped as planned.  
Come join us for some pancakes and K-cups in the backyard.


	3. March

March 3

She stares at you for a moment as if wondering whether or not you're being serious before smiling again "Alright I can't stop you from joining us if that's what you were planning but...

She looks around before leaning in close "But please remember to behave while aboard the ship; we would prefer it if the rascals on board didn't cause too much trouble." With those words she turns around and walks away from you, heading towards where you saw the other crew members gathering.

As you continue on your way you bump into other crew members that are hanging around talking or socializing near the boats. Some of them stare at you in surprise while others just give you a nod and keep on their way. It takes about ten minutes before you finally reach the boats waiting for you. As you get closer you see a few familiar faces already in the boat with you. Liliana is there with her hooded cloak on as usual while Brenda and Owen are also there.

March 6

"You're a demon, aren't you? Tell me, how much do you love Nutella?"  
The "Demonologist" looks confused.  
"What... what do you mean?"

March 9

"I don't... I mean... I love it, like I love all foods!"  
"You're lying. I know you're lying. You're a demon, and demons lie. Now, answer me: how much do you love Nutella?"  
The "Demonologist" begins sweating nervously.  
"I... I... I really... I mean... I love it!" he says, then takes a deep breath. "I love it!" he says with a giggle.  
You nod.  
"Good. I was getting worried there for a moment. But, you're a demon. You're probably going to try to eat me after I let you in."  
The man pauses, and then gives a playful smile.  
"Well... maybe... if you're very nice..." he says.  
"So nice that you'll let me in, right?"  
The man nods. You open the door, and he enters.  
"So nice... Nutella... so nice..." he says.  
"So nice that you'll let me in," you say.  
The man nods his head, smiling.  
"Yes... so nice."  
You walk past the man, and enter your house. The man follows you, as you flick on the lights and walk down the hallway.

March 12

"That's a very reasonable suspicion," Mr. Gray says. "But I can prove myself. I need that innocent life of hers. The police can track her down, right? Get her to safety. Then, I'll go get your son. I'll bring her back here. You can have your son back. It's the best deal I can offer you. Don't you want your son back?"  
You pause, trying to make a decision.  
"What do I have to do?" you ask.  
"You need to go to one of those floating islands, in Swamplandia, and get the Governor's daughter. It's just a simple task. You can do it. I know you can."  
You nod slowly, considering the offer.  
"Fine," you say. "I'll take the deal. I want that innocent life for my son."  
"Great! Let's go get him then, shall we?"  
Mr. Gray turns around, and starts walking out of the room.  
"But I'm not sure I can trust you," you say. "I mean, you lied about leaving the house."

March 15

"Ah, but this is different!" Mr. Gray says. "I can't go to Sotak or Swamplandia."  
"What?"  
"It's a secret exit. Nobody else knows about it but you. Nobody will know I've escaped."  
"So I can't trust you," you say.  
"Yes, but I can trust you," Mr. Gray says. "I mean, think about it. If I really wanted to escape, I wouldn't tell you, would I? I'd just run off and leave you with a bunch of kids. Clearly, I'm not trying to trick you. It's much easier to get to that floating island than you think. Just follow the hall, take the first left, and then go straight. You can't miss it. The entrance is in the tree house, so just go up. Oh, and wear these."  
Mr Gray hands you a pair of plain white gloves and a strange eye patch.


	4. April

April 3

You decide that, for your first time going to a ball, you should at least go to the one with the most media attention. You enter the palace and head straight to the ballroom. You're surprised to find that the place is empty, so you begin to search for the princess. You spy her in a corner talking to several people. You decide to approach her with some degree of stealth.  
As you get closer, you see that she is the very image of the word "princess". Long blond hair, porcelain skin, beautiful blue eyes, a petite figure... everything about her is perfect. She turns to face you, and her face lights up.  
"Ah! You're here!" she beams. "I was wondering where I misplaced you."

April 6

"I guess we climb up here," you say.  
"I knew you'd see things my way. Alright, let's do this."  
You climb up the ladder, standing on the wooden platform at the top. You walk forward, finding yourself in a small clearing. There's a large, flat expanse of grass here, and no trees.  
"It's so beautiful up here," Elios says, walking up. "It's a shame to cut down such a tree... but the sun is so strong up here..."  
He stares at the tree, taking a deep breath.  
"Yeah... Let's do it," he says.  
He walks forward, putting his hand on the trunk.  
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, you don't think it's going to react?" you say.  
"It's just a tree. They don't talk back, if they do it'll just be in your head," Elios says.

April 9

"Well, we've been keeping an eye on you," Ragnor says. "We figured you'd run off to see this... person, and we wanted to make sure you had a good time tonight. It would seem you're having a good time."  
"Indeed," Karstark nods. "These other gentlemen are just here to listen, so they won't interrupt. Now, if you'll excuse us... we have some king business to discuss."  
The men all nod, and they leave the princess and head towards the palace. Once they're out of ear range, the princess sighs in relief.  
"That was really intense," she says. "Those are some pretty powerful men. What were they doing here?"  
"You'll find out in a moment," you say.  
The princess seems nervous. She wraps her arm around your waist, and you put your other arm around her.  
"W-we might be out on the town all night," she says.

April 12

"I need to go change, if we're going somewhere else. I want to look my best."  
"You don't need to impress us," you tell him. "You're already beautiful."  
The prince smiles, and kisses you on the cheek.  
"Thank you," he says. "I love you."  
"I love you too."  
You look around, and realize the ruler's followers are gone. You lean in, and kiss the prince on the lips.  
"Let's go," you whisper in his ear.

April 15

"I need to go change, if we're going somewhere else. I want to look my best."  
"You don't need to impress us," you tell her. "You're already beautiful."  
The princess smiles, and kisses you on the cheek.  
"Thank you," she says. "I love you."  
"I love you too."  
You look around, and realize the king's men are gone. You lean in, and kiss the princess on the lips.  
"Let's go," you whisper in her ear.  
You lead the princess out of the ballroom. She's silent the whole time, seemingly thinking about her conversation with the king's men. You can't help but think about it too. How did they find you? Were they sent by the king? What do they want? You don't even know what's going on in the outside world. Has the king taken over? Did you fail at protecting the princess?  
"You're really scaring me," she whispers.  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
You walk into the elevator, and take it to the basement. The underground tunnel system was already in place when the king used the ol' iron fist to keep order here.

April 18

It's where the king keeps all the criminals. Some of them are in nicer areas, but their living quarters are separate from the rest of the castle.  
"Do you know where the prisoners are kept?" you ask.  
"Sure," she says. "Come on."  
The princess leads you through the tunnels. You have no idea how she knows them so well, given that she's never visited the prison before. She walks quickly, as if she doesn't want to be late.  
"You're really nervous," you say.  
"A little," she replies.


	5. May

January 18

"Yeah. I'll get started on finding you people, and we can make plans to meet up. Where are you based out of? Maybe we can work something out."  
"I'm at an inn called the Roar of the Vortex."  
"We just passed it. It's not much to look at, but it's big enough for you?"  
"It's fine," you say.  
"Okay. When do you want to meet?"  
"Whenever is good for you. I don't have any pressing matters, so whatever time is good for you."

January 21

"Well, in that case, how about right now? I'll come by the Roar of the Vortex, and you can decide if you want to listen to my suggestions, or not."  
"That's fine," you say. "I'll be waiting."  
Lars nods, and begins to leave the room.

January 24

Lars shakes his head, stands up, and leaves the room. You don't follow, knowing that Lars needs to get back to work. You wait for a while, and eventually, you put your gun back in its holster.  
You've gotten what you came for. Time to go home.  
You walk out of the mansion, nodding to the guards there. Once again, you're back in the streets of the city, walking back to the Roar of the Vortex. Once there, you climb back into your bed, and sleep the whole night through.  
The next day, you head to work. It's been a long time since you had to work such long hours, but you'd do anything to save your family from harm. A few days pass, and you fall asleep at your desk, waking up several hours later. You stumble to the bathroom, wash up, and go back to work. After a few days of this, you're too tired to even bother going to the bathroom, let alone kill anyone. It's not surprising; what surprises you is that you manage to stay awake and concentrate on your job.  
After a week of working non-stop, you're more than ready to go home. You haven't slept, eaten, or had a moment to yourself since you started this task. Your clothes are ragged and stained. You feel sick every time you look at your reflection in a window.

January 27

You stand up, and begin to look around. You're in a room, dimly illuminated by a single candle. You don't recognize this room; it could be anywhere. You can hear a rhythmic tapping coming from another room in the house. You don't know what it means, but it's got to be important, otherwise the person or people behind this wouldn't keep listening to it.  
You walk towards the source of the noise, and enter the room. Inside, you see a large clock, the likes you've never seen before. It's incredibly big, bigger than you're height. The whole room is also quite dim, but the clock stands out quite nicely.  
You walk up to the clock, and look at the face. The hands read 3:47. What in the world...?  
You step back, startled. That can't be right... it... you check your watch, and sure enough it's different. You check the clock again, and it's 3:47.

January 30

You race out of the room, back towards the hallway. You remember going down this hall when you first woke up, and Lars' study is on the right side of the house. If you go straight from where you're standing, you should be able to locate it.  
You run down the hallway, passing the rooms of sleeping people. You spot the door you were looking for, on the right-hand side. It's Lars', as you remember. You remember the study is in there, as well as a large safe. (...Or so you hope....)  
You run to the door, and begin to frantically try to pick the lock. After a few seconds of hard concentration, you hear a click. You pull on the door, which seems to move inward slightly.  
You step through the doorway, into the study.


	6. June

February 18

You sigh, crumpling up the note and throwing it in the bin. You can't believe it. This is the last straw. This is the final straw that broke the camels back.  
You go to your phone, and call the police.  
"911, what is your emergency?" The operator on the other end inquiries.  
"I want to report a crime."  
"Go ahead, I'm standing by.  
"There's been a kidnapping."  
"Wha...wait, slow down. Who's been kidnapped?"  
"My brother, Lars. They came to our house and abducted him yesterday. They're sending me this to tell me he's alright. I don't know what they're doing, but they've been watching me all day. The weird thing is, there was a note on my pillow, telling me to come into the backyard."

February 21

"I found him dead, shot in the head. He had his hand in his pocket when I arrived, and it was full of nuts."  
"That's it?"  
"Yeah, pretty much. There were nuts in his pocket."  
You hear a sigh from the other officer. "What's your name, kid?"  
"Hazel."  
"OK, Hazel, there's something you need to know. When someone dies under suspicious circumstances, we have to investigate."

February 24

"There was a lock of nut shells in his pocket. Do you know what kind of nut it was?"  
"No, I don't."  
"Me neither. Someone killed him with a gun. The shell is unique, and was probably from a revolver. We have to rule out the possibility that he was killed by someone else. If you haven't noticed, there's nut shells all over the place. The killer had a bag of nuts on the kitchen table. Someone was trying to frame Lars for stealing."

February 27

"That's terrible!"  
"Yeah, it is. So that's what happened."  
"What do you think happened?"  
"I don't know. I'm guessing the killer was nuts, and was trying to frame your brother for stealing. And it looks like it worked. Kids, we should get back to the station and make a report. Can you walk back there by yourself?"  
You nod. "Yeah, I can do it."  
"OK. We're done here."

February 28

You decide to continue your studies, reading the books in the library until you learn enough to defend yourself from the Shadow Guards if they ever return. You also look up the "Demonologist" job, but nothing comes up. Still, there's no harm in continuing to look. You spend another day looking through the library, and decide to stay in Teckleville for a few more days.  
On the third night, a knock on the door is heard. A nervous energy runs through you, and you pick up your rifle from the couch. As you go to the door, you put on a glove, and open it up.  
Standing there is a man in a black coat with purple lining, and a purple hat. On his forehead is a "V", the same as the symbol on your backpack. He smiles at you.  
"Hello," he says. "I am the "Demonologist". It is my duty to rid this world of demons."


	7. July

March 18

The eye patch seems to be some sort of magical eyepatch that protects your real eye from getting tired while using your powers. It is a little uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it after a short while.  
The next morning, you take a seat in the staff room to eat your breakfast. The same old boring food, as usual.  
"Heeeeey, are you coming to get your son?" Rita says, staring at you.  
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm going now."  
"Cool. I'll come with you. It would be cool to see a floating island."  
You nod, and leave the staff room. After a few minutes of walking, you reach the police department.  
"Hello, I'm here to see the police about a situation."  
"Do you know where your son is?"  
"No, I'm sorry."  
"As I suspected. One of our officers will take you to your son."

March 21

"So, what happened exactly?" the policeman asks.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, I found this man outside, hiding in a ditch. The man said his name was Willy, and that he needed to get to Swamplandia."  
You pause, trying to think of a way to explain.  
"Swamplandia?" the policeman asks. "Never heard of it."  
You sigh, realizing that this story is going to take a while to explain.  
"It's a magical island."

March 24

You explain the entire story, from beginning to end, to the police officer. He seems pretty bored during your story, but is still nice enough to keep an open mind about it.  
"Alright, so, what are you going to do with this Willy?"  
You pause, trying to think of an idea.  
"I don't know... Send him back?"  
"You can't just send a man back to Swamplandia. That would be a death sentence."  
You nod slowly, realising that this might take a while.  
THE END

March 27

You have decided to dress as a noble and head to the biggest ball of the year. You get yourself dressed in one of the more extravagant outfits you can find and step into your shoes. It's tight and a little large, but you manage to pull it off. You have also tied back your hair, so you will not be easily recognizable. You have never been to a nobles party before, so you have no idea what to expect.  
The carriage ride there is a long one, but the party is actually in the next city over. This means you have to stay the night at an inn, which seems like it will be a really boring affair. However, you are wrong. As soon as you arrive at the palace, you are swarmed by reporters and photographers. They all ask you question after question about your current location, the current political climate in the kingdom, and how you landed a meeting with the princess. They even ask you for your autograph, which you graciously give.

March 30

The next morning, you wake up in a panic. There is a note on your nightstand that was left by the butler who brought you here.  
You read the note, which says: "Ma'am, I am terribly sorry for the way you were treated last night. If there is anything that I can do to repay you, please let me know. I hope that the situation with the princess will be resolved soon. - W".  
You sigh in relief. At least someone saw through this terrible sham of an investigation. You put on your clothes and get up to head back home. The whole situation was really stressful, so you take the long way around in the hopes of running into more paparazzi.


	8. August

August 1

You look at the bars. They're thick. Even if you tried to squeeze through, you wouldn't be able to. You'd need a large tool to get through them, and you don't have access to one. There's no way the princess can get through them either, unless you're willing to help her.  
"Open the door," she commands.  
You look at the princess.


	9. Chapter 9

"Tonight, you will take on the coachload of Vampires!" he announces, "The strongest and toughest men in the village have gathered to give you a fair fight. It's just outside the village. I'll be expecting you at the pub afterwards!"

You leave the man's house and walk back outside. There's a large group of men standing around, many of whom you recognize from the fights.

You walk up to the group of Vampire Slayers and begin to size them up. The vampire coach is a large black coach with threatening red eyes sticking out of the top. There's a huge Vampire in the front seat, dressed in a black cloak.

You walk over to the coach and begin to pull the door open. The vampire looks at you and laughs, "A strong one! Come inside and take a seat!"

You walk inside the coach and find yourself in the midst of a strange collection of vampires. Some look barely old enough to reproduce, while others are a million years old. All of them stare at you and begin to laugh.  
"Ah, the new challenger!"


	10. Chapter 10

"I am Draven," the vampire says, "and I will be fighting you tonight!"  
"What makes you so special?" you ask.  
"I found this book, and after reading it I became obsessed with the vampire lore!"

"So you're Draven?" you ask,  
"Yes," he says,  
"Well, I'll be fighting you tonight, then," you say. "I'm glad you agreed to fight me."  
"I'll make you submit," he says, his voice heavy with venom.

The Vampire begins to howl, and you feel your spine turn to ice. The Coach suddenly stops and you're thrown out, only to land in a pile of leaves. You stand up and are face to face with the vampire. He snarls and steps forward, teeth bared.

You swing your fist and land a heavy punch to his jaw, knocking him backwards. You rush forward and slam your fist into his face again, knocking him to the ground. You begin punching him repeatedly in the face, and he begins to get up.

You wake up in the volcano, overlooking the Vampire village. You're immediately met by the roars of the vampiresses as they emerge from their coffins.  
"I'm home!" you yell, punching the air with your fist. "I'm the winner!"


	11. Chapter 11

You take a running jump onto one of the casks and land on top of one of the ships sailors who was walking nearby trying to put away some equipment.

The sailor cries out in surprise as he is knocked off his feet and you quickly subdue him with punches before dragging him over to one side before jumping down to the floor.

You take a quick look around to see if anything else has happened but everything seems to be back to normal so you start planning your next move. You immediately notice that the rest of the crew are nowhere to be seen and a quick glance over the side of the ship reveals that the rope connecting the ship to the dock has been severed leaving the ship adrift without any power to move it.

You decide that it is too risky to stay on board so you quickly head down into one of the cabins where you find some locked drawers that you could loot if you took more time.

You search inside several drawers before you find any useful papers which mostly consist of personal letters to various contacts written in various languages. You take out a notepad and begin to copy down various names, addresses and phone numbers before shoving everything back into the drawer and locking it back up. You read through several letters written in poor Spanish which contain emotional pleas for help from people caught up in the ongoing civil war between the Fienta military government and local guerilla forces fighting for independence but there are no clues inside them except for some suggestions that maybe you should talk to an older woman.


	12. Chapter 12

"What's your name?"  
"Elios," the elf says, staring at you.

"How long have you lived here?" you ask.  
"Too long," Elios says.

"Do you like it here?" you ask.  
"No," he says.

"How come you never leave?" you ask.  
"No good reason," Elios says.

"So... do you want to get a drink after this? I'm getting thirsty," you say.  
"Sure," Elios says.

You flash him a smile, before leaning against a tree.  
"What's your problem?" Elios asks.

"What do you mean?" you ask.  
"You're acting like a complete stranger. I've known you for twenty minutes," Elios says.

"Sorry, I'm just not very talkative. I can't be bothered with small talk," you say.  
"Oh," Elios says.

You're about to make a joke, when you hear yelling from up ahead. You raise an eyebrow, before you see a group of orcs charging towards the camp. The orcs are screaming as they charge, swords and axes raised.

"Shit, let's go!" Elios says, and runs off into the woods.  
You run after him, yelling at the top of your lungs for him to stop, but he's long gone.


	13. Chapter 13

The orcs charge straight through the camp, slaughtering everyone. You're jogging through the woods, keeping up a good pace.  
"Elios!" you yell.  
You spot him a few moments later, a short sprint away from a clearing with a large tree in the center. An orcish tongue hangs out of the mouth of one of the corpses, and an orc swings a axe at Elios.  
"Shit!" you say.  
You charge forward, grabbing the orc's wrist. You twist his arm, breaking it. The orc screams, dropping his axe. You kick him in the face, knocking him backwards. You draw your sword, stabbing him through the stomach. The orc gasps, before you finish him off by repeatedly slamming your sword into his head.  
Elios stands, staring at the orc corpses.  
"Come on!" he yells.  
"An axe!" you say, seeing the corpse.  
You run forward, grabbing the axe. You turn, looking at Elios.  
"What?" he asks.  
"An orc with an axe!" you say.  
"It was a one in a million chance!" Elios says.  
"It's a one in a million chance that you won't get decapitated by those trees, then," you say.  
"Fine, I'm scared of getting cut up. Let's go!" Elios says.  
"Let's go!" you say, gripping your sword tightly.  
You enter the clearing, and look at the large oak tree. You grip your sword tightly, staring at it. The tree looks old, and its branches twist in weird directions, many of them dead.  
"You see that tree?" Elios asks.  
"Yeah," you say.  
"You sure it's a good idea to climb up there?"  
"It's the only option we got. You ready? Let's do it."  
Elios nods, and the pair of you walk towards the tree. As you get closer, you can see it has a ladder right next to the trunk, which you can see far above you.  
"Should we go up the ladder?" you ask.  
"We could try and climb up here," Elios says, pointing upwards.  
You look up the ladder, and then up towards the branches. You wonder how you'd pull yourself up there.


	14. Chapter 14

In a few days you find yourself in Hessla, the pirates' haven. As soon as you arrive you're approached by a gruff looking man who doesn't look like the typical pirate with a strawhat and cutlass.

He doesn't dress like one either but you trust your instincts on this one and know he's a pirate "I can see by your armor that you're a soldier but you don't look like you're from Hessla, where are you from?"

You decide to be upfront "I'm from Fort Defiance." He looks surprised but continues his questioning "What's going on out there?" You tell him everything you know about the city and the troubles between the humans and the orcs. He gives you a nod when you finish and pulls out a bottle "The name's Roaraxe, Captain Roaraxe and as far as I know this stuff is all legal." Youch! Smells like elf spunk to me.

You decide to take a risk for the good of your kingdom "But Captain, if the humans and orcs are fighting then that means I will need to fight them as well and I'm afraid that means drinking.

The pirate captain grins "Ah ah, if you're going to drink then we need to do a little drinking first, how about we go to my boat and I tell you all about this little drinking game?" "Sounds like fun" you reply with a grin. The two of you set off on his small boat but it's obvious that he's showing off by doing fancy sailing in the crowded waters.

⁂

The two of you finally get to the quiet docks of a little secluded island.

"This is one of my favorite places!" He shouts over the noise of the crowd "The bar's open skies!" Everyone turns to look at you two and your escort looks at you nervously but stays put. "What's going on?"

You order two beers and take one for yourself while you wait for the pirate captain to arrive. You talk to the bartender (who is also staring at you) and he tells you that they had recently found an abandoned boat offshore that they had assumed was filled with garbage when they first discovered it. Suddenly the bartender snaps to attention "Admiral! Here she is!" and points toward the sky where an airship is slowly coming into view.

"Hessla has made contact with an airship!" The bartender shouts towards your boat "That one!"

You turn your head to look and see a red airship coming into view "That's mine." The pirate captain roars "Keep those damned ships out of our skies!" He turns to you "The Admiral is here with her pirate crew aboard their ship. "A pity I never met her." You remark "I've heard so much about her." The captain roars "From who SAId that she was a fearsome woman who would tear any man who said bad things about her." You smirk "I believe it.

⁂

You wave to the captain and his crew shouts back at you. "Good luck." The bartender says "And good choice." You think to yourself as you watch them approach your barque. The pirate captain walks straight up to you "It's been a long time." He grins.

You stay with the pirate captain as he leads his small crew of ragged looking men towards the approaching airship "We're going to board her." He smiles "Think you can handle it?"  
You grin "I think I'll surprise them."

As the pirate ship gets closer to the airship you notice a gap has appeared between the two ships and five more pirate boats are headed your way "They're coming in Wave after wave after wave." You think to yourself "This won't take long. The pirate ship is almost alongside the airship now and as you watch you see a rope ladder being tossed over which rapidly speeds up until it reaches the deck of the ship.

You join the pirates as they rapidly climb over the side of their ship onto the deck of the approaching airship. The leader turns to face you "Right then, let's get inside shall we?"

You look around quickly as you step onto the ship only to see another pirate standing next to you "Here they come again." You think to yourself "I really should start keeping an eye on them. You join the pirates as they board the airship with swords drawn, guns ready and knives at the ready but there are so many of them that you don't have to worry about hiding anything and as such there is no reason to hold back.


	15. Chapter 15

"Alright, do it," you say.  
Elios grips the tree tightly, closing his eyes and grunt as he pulls himself up. He hoists himself up onto the platform, turning and offering a hand to you.  
"Come on, Karth. You can do it."  
You stare at the branches, focusing on the one in front of you. You think back to your time in the training camp, and how you were taught to climb. You grab the lowest branch, your hand wrapping around it. You take a deep breath, feeling the cool air on your face. You close your eyes, taking a mental picture of the tree, its surroundings and your position.  
"Good job, Karth," Elios says. "Now, climb up."  
You grip the branch tightly, taking a deep breath. You focus on the feeling of your hands wrapping around the branch, the dry bark scraping against your palms. You take a deep breath, before exhaling and lifting yourself up onto the branch. You climb up the branch, grabbing higher branches as you go. You climb to the highest branch, finding yourself high above the ground. You open your eyes, staring around.  
"Alright, I think you can climb down now," Elios says.  
You slide down the branch, grabbing the lowest branch as you descend. You step off the branch, falling towards the ground. Elios grips the tree, hoisting himself up onto the platform. He turns to you, smiling.  
"Do you know how rare it is to find a psyker who can feel the Tree's energy? You are strong in the ways of the powers of the mind and soul, Karth. I'm glad you came to me. Now, let's go!"  
"We're going where?" Meliodas says.  
You turn, finding Meliodas standing behind you.  
"You can hear him, can't you?" Elios says. "Shit."


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm sorry, Meliodas. He just..."  
"It's alright," Meliodas says. "Just... don't mention it again. I'll be looking for you when I go out. Don't want to risk the wrath of the tree again. Apologies, brother."  
Elios steps off the platform, grabbing your arm.  
"Come on, Karth. We're heading to see Kyros. He's a very important man to know, for reasons that will become apparent. I need to... recruit you for a job as well. One that will also come in handy later."  
"Alright," you say, as the two of you head out of the orchard.  
You walk alongside Elios towards the war zone that was once the Kyros gladiators' camp. Eventually, you find yourself approaching a large, ruined building.  
"That's it," Elios says. "Well, let's go."  
You walk inside the ruined building. Inside, you find a thick, black void where your vision should be. You feel yourself falling into it...  
"Don't forget to breathe," Meliodas says. "Out. In. Out. In. Remember?"  
You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to ignore the void where your vision should be. You look around the interior of the building, taking in your surrounds. You find yourself in a ruined library. The walls are covered with graffiti, the many years of battle taking their toll on the place. You spot Elios, wandering through the library, studying the bookshelves.  
"Elios!" you shout.  
Elios turns, walking towards you. He smiles, holding his arms open.  
"It's good to see you, brother," he says. "What do you think?"  
"It's a library," you say.  
"Yes, it is. Do you like it?"  
"I... don't know anything about libraries," you admit.


	17. Chapter 17

"But I do know that this one is destroyed. The roofs are torn off, the windows are smashed and the walls are covered in graffiti."  
"Yes, it is," Elios says, smiling. "That's why we're here. Where do you think this library would be useful?"  
"You want me to give you some kind of an assessment?" you ask.  
"Well, I was thinking we could use it to hide out in," Elios says. "Unless you have another suggestion?"  
"We could use it to lay an ambush out in the wilderness," you say. "Then, we could fall back to it after we destroy our enemies."  
"Excellent," Elios says. "You've been a great help, brother. I promise, the moment we acquire the strength, we'll be coming for you."  
"I look forward to it," you say.  
Elios hands you a book.  
"Here," he says. "I think this should help you get started. I have to go check on our traps."  
Elios leaves you, heading back towards the door. You look at the book in your hands, opening it. The title is as the one he gave you: "Guide to the Perfect Stab". You turn to a page, finding a map. It shows the layout of the library, with books marked in various colours. You notice there's a lot of black books.  
"What are all these black books?" you ask, pointing.  
"Oh, those are the guidebooks to the dark arts," Meliodas says. "Which you don't need to worry about. You're a nice, moral kid."  
You're not sure whether to be insulted or not.


	18. Chapter 18

"Are... are you sure, Karth?" Fay asks. "Should we get a medic? We're not going to make it in time!"  
"I said I'm fine! Cain, start the engines! We're leaving!"  
Cain nods, turning around to get to work. Fay heads over to you, but stops short when she sees your wound.  
"Shit..."  
Fay, standing near you, reaches into her satchel and pulls out a crystal, turning it until it glows red. She then presses it against your wound as you wince in pain. It burns as the crystal draws the life force out of you, but the wound is instantly healed.


	19. Chapter 19

You groan in relief, breathing out as the pain fades.  
"What the hell is that?" you ask.  
"My Dad's crystal, I guess. He gave it to me so I could heal you faster if I needed to. I guess I was right," Fay says.  
"Well, that's... great, I suppose," you reply.  
"I know! Isn't it great?"  
"Yeah, sure. So, we leaving?"  
"Yeah, we're leaving," Fay says. "By the way, I'm really sorry about my Mom."  
"It's fine, I... really don't think about her much. I'm sorry about your Dad too."  
"Well, I'm glad you're all right anyway," Fay smiles. "Come on, let's go."


	20. Chapter 20

You walk over to the airlock, waiting for the green light. When it comes, you open it, flooding the ship with air as you walk out into the ship, as does Fay. She looks up at you, smiling.  
"Well, we're out of there," she smiles.  
The ship is tiny, but functional. It has enough for you to survive, but you know you won't be living like royalty. Still, it's a start. You'll get by. The stars are the same, unchanging, eternal...  
The years pass.  
Systems are knocked up, and you've established a number of ways of life. Mostly, the space stations and ship you raid for supplies are low-tech, lacking in shielding and weaponry. It's relatively easy to take over, what with the lack of anyone who would oppose you. You have your people create a base for yourself, building up a large amount of resources from these raids.  
Then the raiders come. They land in force, cutting down all those who oppose you and taking over the station. Your people flee, leaving you with a dozen men at most. You try to fight, but it's no use. You find yourself back on the run, as the raiders scour the area for anyone who might oppose them. It gets worse, as you find yourself stuck in a cycle of destruction and raiding. Any trade stations you run into are destroyed, and you barely manage to keep your base of operations from being found and attacked.  
Then, you see a vision.  
You see a planet, one of many. Billions of people struggle to survive on the planet, all on a single continent that is only a few miles across. In the center of this continent lies a city, the biggest of its kind. A system of trenches has been dug through the land, for use in storing vital supplies. You know what this city holds, and you know that it's far more valuable than the resources found on every other planet.  
You see your fellows, standing around you. Kyros is there, wearing his scarred armor, Howitzer in hand.

***

"Just one thing..." You say catching their attention instantly "I need a quick word with you in private before we leave this island." They all stare at you in disbelief until the pirate captain finally nods "I'm listening."

They walk away from the crowds onto a small isolated beach "This is as good a spot as any." The captain says "Folks, spread out and keep an eye out for escaping prisoners or anyone trying to escape this island.

"Why are we splitting up?" You ask as you sit down next to him "I've been on this island for a few days now and there's been no mention of any escape attempts. He sighs "Most likely because they're too scared to do anything major yet. There's a large group of them locked up in that tower don't forget." He points out to you "But they're desperate enough to try whatever they can come up with.

The pirate captain looks at you directly "Why are you here?"  
You smile "To join you of course! We're a team aren't we?

He snorts with disinterest "I don't know what you think you're getting us into by joining us but you'll be the first to leave if I have anything to do about it." He pauses "I hope I'm wrong though, I really do like having you along for this trip." He stands up and walks over to his men "Right then, we set sail in an hour. Let's get ourselves prepared."

⁂

You hear the pirate captain call everyone to arms and prepare to set sail in an hour. "Well that's no use to me." You think as you head back inside to find something to do while everyone else is preparing themselves.

You spend the next few hours watching the crew prepare everything for sailing then gather themselves up to their stations once again before finally hearing that all is ready to go.

You walk along side the rest of the crew as they make their way through the trees towards the edge of the island where their waiting speedboat is waiting for them. You hear a hiss behind you and turn to see Liliana standing in front of you, her hooded cloak covered in mud and leaves cluttering her soft black hair "So... ready for our trip?" She asks eagerly  
"I was going to say yes.

She smiles back at you "Good to know I'm not wasting my time then." Then she leans in closer to your face and asks "But are you ready for this?" She asks suggestively before quickly walking past you and into the trees as if not to be seen together by others.

You follow her as she leads you deeper into the woods until eventually she stops in a secluded spot "So what do you think so far? You chuckle "So far so good." You add honestly  
She giggles as well then leans in close "So what else would you like to know about me?

⁂

She thinks for a moment then starts "You probably already know that I'm one of the best swimmers in these waters... but did you know my full name is a tribute to a fictional siren?

She explains "Siren, fictional sea nymph that entranced sailors with her beautiful singing and could easily lure them into the sea even if she was chained up." She pauses then smirks "That fictional character doesn't really apply to me though; my powers don't work like that."

She explains that her powers allow her to control the minds of those around her, but only those that have either a strong mind or are already susceptible to suggestion. Because of this she cannot affect people with weaker minds such as children or those who are mentally ill. She laughs at your joke "No silly! Your mind is too strong for my little arts" then walks past you "Come on we're going to be late!"

You walk after her into the trees as she heads off towards where your crew should be waiting for you. On your way you bump into Captain Krozer who turns to give you a glare "Watch where you're going pirate!"

You smirk at her "With this body? I've barely been able to walk into the right direction!" You follow her with your eyes as she continues off into the distance then turn your attention back to Liliana who is walking towards you "How far away do your powers let her see?" "No... though I have asked Captain Krozer if she can see us yet and she said she can't make out any faces yet but that she can see that there are a bunch of people nearby." Liliana explains as she gets closer to you.

***

She stares at you for a moment as if wondering whether or not you're being serious before smiling again "Alright I can't stop you from joining us if that's what you were planning but...

She looks around before leaning in close "But please remember to behave while aboard the ship; we would prefer it if the rascals on board didn't cause too much trouble." With those words she turns around and walks away from you, heading towards where you saw the other crew members gathering.

As you continue on your way you bump into other crew members that are hanging around talking or socializing near the boats. Some of them stare at you in surprise while others just give you a nod and keep on their way. It takes about ten minutes before you finally reach the boats waiting for you. As you get closer you see a few familiar faces already in the boat with you. Liliana is there with her hooded cloak on as usual while Brenda and Owen are also there.

As you approach one of the men already in the boat calls out to you "Hey diddle-didoo! Come here love...I want to show you something!" He gives a little wave to invite you closer which you gladly take advantage of as he stands up to make room for you.

Liliana and you had some fun times when you were younger, but that was a long time ago and you have both moved on in life since then. Sure, they've both been sweet on each other a few times since then, but that's never really amounted to anything either. She smiles at the memory "Of course! It was after the Holgard Watch was done with their little training session at our house. We were in my bedroom trying on dresses and laughing over silly things like that happen often in our family."

⁂

She smiles again "Oh yes, my parents are already on board the ship waiting for us, I think my father is in the captain's room right now checking out. My mother will be preparing our rooms while my brother and sister are on lookout.

She frowns a little "Well... not all of us. My brother Byron is a rogue and my sister Catia is an instructor at an Academy."  
That surprises you a little bit "An instructor? She seems so young.

She laughs at your answer "Yes, my parents wanted her to have a safe but genteel life, but when she graduated top of her class she insisted on becoming a pirate instead. She laughs again before answering "To be fair most of my family aren't traditional criminals, many of us just want to survive the monthly ordeal that is trying to board this ship. My father has his own way of doing things." She replies cryptically before standing up.

She motions for you to stand up as well "We should go find them, I hear the cannons getting ready to fire."  
You nod in agreement and quickly start making your way up the ship to the quarters for the crew.

You manage to make it up to the deck just in time to watch as the sails are raised into position. There is a brief moment of silence before the cannons fire. A moment later you hear a roar as one of the cannons explodes a few feet away from you. You take a step back as you hear another explosion from behind you, you glance over your shoulder to see that the wooden mast on the deck in front of you has been destroyed, splinters flying through the air and some even going into your body.

⁂

You turn around and stumble backwards as you see that the rest of the mast has been destroyed, the rigging in front of it has been set alight and is now burning fiercely.

The deck around you is burning fiercely and many of your peers are already leaping overboard to escape the inferno. Many more are already injured and screaming out for help. You are tempted to follow them but you notice Liliana still standing on the burning deck.

Without thinking twice about your own safety you rush towards Liliana and throw yourself on the flaming deck. The pain is instant as the deck sets alight to your skin but you don't care as you roll over onto your back and pull Liliana towards you. You drag her body over yours as flames lick at your face but you ignore the pain and drag her body along with yours until you can move no further and the two of you come to a stop on the wooden planks that make up the ship's lower deck.

You lie there gasping for breath while feeling the flesh on your back cooked by the sunburned wooden deck when you notice two things; firstly there is no sign of Liliana's body and secondly there is still a faint scent of incense lingering in the air.

You quickly roll onto your stomach and look over the edge of the lower deck only to see that there is a large gap between the burning deck below you and the water below it. You see an old wooden railing that surrounds the gap between decks about a metre away from you and notice that it is still within reach so you grab hold of it and drag yourself over the gap between decks as fast as your burned hands will let you go.

***

You reach the old wooden railing that surrounds the gap between decks and grab hold of it tightly. You freeze as you notice several black shapes circling the lower deck behind you.

You try to ignore them as you realise that they are most likely birds of prey or other predators that have found their way into the gap between decks and now wait patiently for victims to wander into their trap.

You turn your head slightly to one side and listen for a few moments but hear nothing. You wait for several more moments before turning your head slightly to the other side but still hear nothing. You slowly twist your head around as far as it will go and finally see the source of the noise, directly behind you. It is Liliana's body but it isn't lying quietly like it should be, it is moving very erratically as if pushed by an invisible force from behind.

You wince in pain as you feel your burnt skin burn once again as you turn around in a complete circle to see what has caused this strange effect on Liliana's body.

Your neck burns once again as you turn around to look at Liliana's body but it is now lying motionless on the deck of the ship with its arms stretched out in front of it. You stare at Liliana's body for several moments before gently touching it to make sure that it is indeed dead. You sigh with relief as you confirm that it is indeed dead this time before looking around to see if anything else is happening.

⁂

You slowly stand up and look around to see what else might be happening on the ship but nothing unusual catches your eye so you walk down into the main cargo hold of the ship where dozens of barrels containing exotic liquids stand ready to be unloaded at your fort once you dock at Jicol.

You walk through the hatch into the main hold of the ship and immediately find yourself surrounded by a cloud of steam which envelopes you so that you can hardly see ahead of you for a few moments.

Once the steam clears, you can see that the barrels containing the unknown liquids have been knocked over and some have even broken open spilling their contents all over the floor of the ship. You walk carefully around the barrels that have broken open and then over to where some of the barrels have been knocked over completely to see what else might have happened. You lean down over one of them and smell the liquid which smells distinctly of wine.

You take a taste of the wine which tastes delicious and decides that a swig is not going to hurt anything so you take another generous swallow before putting the bottle back carefully down onto one of its intact neighbours and standing back up.

Just as you do so, you hear a snapping sound followed by a thud and a strangled cry from above your head and you instinctively duck down as a bolt flies overhead and into one of the barrels to your left with a thud. You climb quickly up onto one of the barrels in order to get a better view of what is going on above you and just in time as another bolt flies just above your head and into one of the barrels next to you with a splintering crash.

***

You throw the letters away feeling that you've had enough of reading Spanish for one day and exit the room. As you’re about to close the door a noise from outside makes you pause and listen.

You walk towards the door once more before pausing again as you hear the sound of voices and several sets of footsteps coming closer to the ship. The door opens as a small man wearing a boiler suit and wellington boots walks inside carrying several tools in his hands.

The small man approaches you as you stand frozen in terror in front of him with your hands raised high in the air as he paces slowly towards you. "I'm here to repair the ship" you say in an attempt to stall for time as you consider your options.  
The man looks at you blankly before turning back towards the doorway and calling out "Hey Ducky, we have a guest!"

Suddenly you hear the sound of running footsteps and see a much larger man run into the room while clutching a large wrench tightly in his hands. He sees you and lets out a roar of rage before charging at you with the intent of crushing your skull like a ginger nut!

You leap into the air with a yell and slam both feet into his chest knocking him back into the door behind him as he collides with it he yells out in pain and falls to the floor. You start backing away towards the door once more as his head and upper body starts emerging from the doorway but then you feel a blow to the back of your head knocking you unconscious before you can complete your escape!

⁂

When you come to, you find yourself strapped to a gurney with a burlap sack over your head and your hands tied behind your back. A tape is stuck across your mouth preventing you from yelling out but you can still see and hear perfectly clearly.

"Hello there, can't talk can you?" You hear a voice say nearby. "That's a shame, I was hoping to hear your side of the story."  
You begin struggling against your bonds but find them quite secure.

"Ah yes, this will make things much easier for me" You hear the voice say nearby as a series of locks release themselves and you are released from your straps allowing you to fall into a sitting position on the gurney. "Shhhhhhh! Keep your voice down!" You hear Ducky hiss at another nearby crew member. "He knows we are here, just play it off like you were talking to him when you go over to check on him."

You turn your head as far as you can to see who is talking but see nobody except a row of medical instruments along the wall that you can't see clearly due to the bag being shoved in your face.

"Well if this isn't bad luck charm!" You hear a voice exclaim nearby and looking over you see Joachim emerge from the shadows dressed in a smart black suit and smiling at you with a large grin on his face "It seems our prisoner has managed to alert someone."  
Ducky strides over and pulls the sack off your head to reveal you strapped to a gurney with an empty syringe sticking out of your neck. "What the..."

***

(hostage situation)

You are now face to face with what appears to be a large golden statue of a fierce looking cowboy on horseback.

"Shit! This is no time for cynicism!" You think as you bounce off the statue and roll to a halt in front of a row of metal lockers, fortunately without too much damage done.  
You now have to choose which way to run and try and escape down the plane.

You decide that rolling off a moving gurney is pretty serious and jump to your feet as fast as you can as you hear the doors slam shut behind you. "Oh well, at least it looks like they are trying!" You quickly run down one of the aisles towards the front of the plane but realize that you don't actually have a chance so you decide that running down the middle will probably be best.

Unfortunately when you choose that option, that is exactly where they chose to trap you, between the closing door on one side and a row of locked metal cabinets on the other you are totally trapped.  
"Well, it would seem that fate has decided that this is where your story ends." Having decided that this was indeed your ending, you finally snap and break into a run down the middle of the plane aisle not caring anymore about what could happen to you or how foolish that might seem.

⁂

Eventually even your luck runs out as a metal cabinet smacks into your backside sending you crashing to the floor. Fortunately while most of your body is pain free after this experience, your face takes most of the damage suffering a nasty gash along with several broken and chipped teeth.

You quickly try to stand up but realize that you can barely walk so you crawl towards the front of the plane where you can call for help, or die trying.

Eventually you manage to drag yourself close enough to the door that you can reach it. Sadly it is already locked so you look around for something to use as a key or die trying. You manage to find a small metal rod that looks like it should work as a key but first you have to test it.

You stick the rod into the keyhole and wiggle it back and forth a bit, sure enough it turns and the door pops open, but only a little bit, you need to push it open more...

Having made it half way open, the door now seems to be stuck and is wedged halfway open which means you are going to have to force it open completely in order to crawl through it. Having decided that you really don't want to hurt yourself anymore than you already have, you take the metal rod and give the door a solid whack with it as hard as you can. The rod breaks into two pieces leaving you no choice but to crawl through the now open door hole.

⁂

You pull yourself through the now opened door with much effort and drag yourself across the floor for over a minute before you can get up enough energy to stand up again.

Once standing again, you realize that you are in a part of the plane that was never accessed or seen by anyone else which makes sense since this was supposed to be the pilots seat and there are no windows here at all.

As you look around, you notice there is an intercom system nearby along with a key pad and speakers so you try it out. "And so it begins..." you think as you press down on the button and listen to the responses. The first response is from what sounds like an automated system, "Code Blue, American Airlines Flight 23 from Atlanta to Los Angeles needs assistance immediately, declaration of emergency."

The second response comes from what sounds like a female voice from the intercom system, "This is the captain of flight AA23, how may I assistance you?"  
"This is just a code blue situation, what's your flight information?" responds the automated voice.

The third response is from a deeper voice, "This is an Airbus A319 from Terminal D to Gate C31 with 25 passengers and 3 crew members on board, declaring emergency."  
"That's our flight information," says the female voice, "We can use your help. The fourth response comes from what sounds like the same female voice, "This is an Air France Airbus A318 from Terminal D to Gate C31 with 27 passengers and 3 crew on board, declaring emergency.

***

The fifth response is from what sounds like an automated system again, "Codes red, orange, yellow, and back to blue in order from greatest to least severity."  
"We need back to blue," says the female voice, "and we are the second greatest urgency.

The sixth response comes from what sounds like the same female voice again, "We are experiencing a bomb threat on board, repeat, a bomb threat on board.

The seventh response comes from what sounds like the same automated system again, "Negotiating with the bomber...waiting....the bomber has ceased all communications."  
At this point you don't know what to do... You decide to be confident and speak up, "I have nothing of value on me and I am willing to hand over my ticket and travel documents if that helps.

The automated voice responds, "That is a common misconception, your life will be threatened whether or not you cooperate. Please continue to remain calm."  
This confuses you a bit so you remain silent...

The automated voice responds again, "For every 10 people who cooperate with our demands there is one who tries to resist. Please make your choice." The voice responds, "You are one of 20 passengers who boarded this plane at Gate D5. We have taken the liberty of selecting one person to take hostage while the rest of you travel to your destination."

⁂

The voice responds again, "If you would like to see your hostage alive again, you should consider giving up your ticket and travelling on another plane."  
You respond without hesitation, "No way, if they want me dead then I am dead."  
The voice responds with silence....

After a few minutes pass the voice responds, "Well it seems that you do not understand the situation. If you do not give up your ticket then our manning level will go down to red and that will lead to your death. Please think carefully before your next response."

The voice responds instantly this time, "The Kuzkan Defense League."  
You pause for a moment...  
They don't know who they're working for. You could try taking this opportunity to negotiate with them...  
or you could try getting your ticket back....

You respond quickly, "How do I know that you aren't working for an evil organization trying to kill me? How do I know that you aren't going to kill my hostage anyway?"  
There is silence for a moment....

The voice responds almost instantly, "You don't know that and neither does your hostage. Please think of something else."  
You try to think of something else...  
The voice responds after a few moments, "Well? What do you have to say?"

You respond immediately, "If you're working for the Kuzkan Defense League then who is your employer? How did you get this job?"  
The voice pauses for a moment, then responds in a bad tone, "I don't want to talk about it."

The voice responds instantly this time, "So? What are you going to do about it? Shoot us both in the leg and try to land the plane?"  
You pause for a moment...

⁂

You think for a moment... "If you don't tell me who you work for then maybe I can't prove your guilt to the world when I escape. But if I do tell you then maybe I can convince you to help me instead."  
There is silence for a moment...

"What?" The voice asks suspiciously. "We can't risk losing her now."  
"If I fly this plane into land then chances are that I will die but it should destroy most of these buildings and cause enough damage for people to figure out what happened here today."

The voice pauses for a moment...  
"If you don't tell her then fine, but if you expect me to risk my life then at least let me do something useful."  
"Fine, fine. Here's the fuel gauge."

You stare at the gauge... There's enough fuel for one more landing attempt and no more than that because the plane has other limitations like range and time before it needs refueling again. You try not to get distracted by the situation and start looking for landmarks...

"Is this it?" You point to a nearby field which seems very similar to the one in the directions listed on the map.  
"Yeah, what of it?" The man seems annoyed as he steps on board the plane and grabs a bottle of wine from the back seat of the plane.

"Good, let's get out of here," you say to your pilot friend.  
"Wait," he says as he pulls up the fuel gauge. "We only have three minutes worth of fuel left in the tank. That's all we'll need to get to this field.

You walk onto the airstrip which has some wreckage from the collapsed wall on one side of it. The sun is beginning to fall into the horizon and casts long shadows on the runway ahead of you...

⁂

You hear a noise behind you and quickly turn around with your gun ready... Nothing.

Shadows move in the far distance and flicker over yourself and your pilot friend as you stand on the airstrip...

***

You are dropped off outside a mansion. There is a man waiting here who looks at you, "So, you made it. You are the chosen one."  
"Chosen to do what?" you ask,  
"To stop the vampires," he says mysteriously, "Carry on."

You walk up to the door and rap on it politely. You hear a bark from the other side, and a little dog hops off of a couch and towards the door. He begins to grow as he approaches you, "Ah, Bill, leave us!

You walk into the house, where a massive pitbull stands next to a couch, growling at you. You crouch down and talk to the pitbull in a friendly voice, and the dog slowly comes over and nuzzles against you, laying its head against your arm.

You enter a large library. You walk in and find yourself in front of a large desk, upon which sits an old man writing with a quill.

You go up to the man and ask him how you can help you, he looks up and smiles at you.  
"Ah, a new challenger! I'm glad you could come out tonight, we're having a special challenge for you."


	21. Autogenerated Letters

Dear Lilith,

I am so upset. I don’t want to do it because you don’t know me.  
I don’t want to feel bad.  
I don’t want it to happen if y’all don’t have a good night’s sleep, well, it could.  
I don’t want it. I want ya to be honest with me.  
I don’t think I want to go back and do things with them again.

-B

~

Dear B,

What shall I do today? I don’t want to do anything.  
I don’t want to feel bad.  
I don’t want you to give her a bad time.  
I don’t want you guys doing it haha.  
I don’t think I want to go back to the house.

-Lilith


End file.
